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<title>How To Say "I Love You" In 13 Songs by jujubiest</title>
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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29325423">How To Say "I Love You" In 13 Songs</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/jujubiest/pseuds/jujubiest'>jujubiest</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Supernatural</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>15x20 I don't know her, Dean Winchester Makes Mixtapes For Castiel, Ficlet, Fluff, M/M, Post-Canon</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 10:35:06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>737</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29325423</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/jujubiest/pseuds/jujubiest</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Dean is bad with words, but music? That he understands. He decides to try and tell Cas how he feels with another mixtape.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Castiel/Dean Winchester</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>13</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. DEAN'S TOP 13 TAY TRA XX</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Dean makes Cas another mixtape in an attempt to make his feelings clear.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Dean approaches Cas after dinner one night, trying to tell himself he isn’t nervous. Cas is sitting at one of the tables in the library, hand curled around a mug of coffee. He looks tired. He was never a big talker, but he’s been unusually quiet since they got him back, and Dean can’t help but wonder…</p><p>Does he regret it? Being human now? Telling Dean what he told him?</p><p>Has he changed his mind?</p><p>Dean doesn’t know, and he doesn’t know how to ask. So he did something he <em>does </em><span>know about, and he only hopes it works better than the last one.</span></p><p>“<span>Hey, Cas,” he says softly. He finds himself speaking softly a lot these days, as though afraid he’s going to disturb the peace that’s settled around them all. Cas turns and offers him a tired smile.</span></p><p>“<span>Hello, Dean. Did you need something?”</span></p><p>
  <em>I need you, </em>
  <span>Dean thinks, almost </span>
  <em>prays, </em>
  <span>except Cas can’t hear those anymore. If Dean wants him to know how he feels, he’ll have to use words. Or...sounds anyway. He fumbles in his pocket.</span>
</p><p>“<span>Just uh...I made you another tape. I think you might like this one a little better, it’s more like the stuff you usually listen to.” He finally lays his hands on the tape and pulls it out, offering to to Cas without quite looking him in the eyes. He can feel his face heating up.</span></p><p>
  <span>Cas tilts his head, confused but seemingly—hopefully—pleased. </span>
</p><p>“<span>Thank you, Dean,” he says, taking the tape from his hand gently. Their fingers don’t touch in the transfer. “That’s very thoughtful.”</span></p><p>“<span>Welcome,” Dean mumbles, rubbing a hand over the back of his neck and looking anywhere but at Cas. “Just uh...really listen to the words, okay? When you...y’know.”</span></p><p>“<span>Of course,” Cas says. Dean can </span><em>feel </em><span>those eyes on him, and he needs to be out of this situation, fast.</span></p><p>“<span>Great,” he says. “Well, I’m gonna...go...uh, bed. Yeah. ‘Night.”</span></p><p>
  <span>He’s out of the library so fast he barely hears Cas’s soft “goodnight” trailing behind him.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Dean's Mixtape: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3089lSxQ6eGiuEPxpQXTOj?si=ZnWu60Z7Soma3pcbIE1zGg</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. CASTIEL'S TOP 13 TAYLOR TRAXX</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Castiel gives Dean a mixtape of his own. Same artist, slightly different message.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I was planning this to be only 2 chapters, but I decided I needed one more for them to figure everything out. With their own damn words, finally.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Three days later—three antsy, anxious, </span>
  <em>miserable</em>
  <span> days later—Dean hears a knock on his door as he’s putting away his laundry.</span>
</p><p>“<span>Door’s open,” he calls over his shoulder, intent on trying to re-fold his shirts so they’ll fit into his dresser drawer. At some point, he’s become the kind of person who has more clothes than he has storage space, if only slightly. It’s a weird feeling. Almost like he’s being greedy, to have a few more flannels than can fit in a single drawer.</span></p><p>
  <span>It also feels kinda nice though. To know he couldn’t fit his entire life in a duffel back anymore.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It takes him a moment to realize Cas is standing in the doorway. He stops, puts down the shirt he’s folding. Turns.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He and Cas still haven’t talked much. Not about anything important. It’s been good morning, g’night, pass the sugar, you want cheese in your eggs?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It’s driving Dean crazy.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cas is talking. Dean blinks and tries to focus past the nervous, itchy feeling being in the same room as Cas gives him lately.</span>
</p><p>“—<span>enjoyed it very much,” Cas is saying. He’s holding something in his hands. A tape.</span></p><p>
  <span>Dean swallows, tries for a smile. Probably fails horribly.</span>
</p><p>“<span>Yeah? Did...did you listen to the lyrics? Really closely?”</span></p><p>
  <span>For some reason, the question makes Cas furrow his brow and look away from Dean’s eyes, down at the tape in his hands.</span>
</p><p>“<span>I did,” he says softly. “I </span><span>think I </span><span>understood perfectly.”</span></p><p>“<span>Yeah?” Dean says again, taking a step away from the bed, closer to Cas. “And...you’re...okay with...all that?”</span></p><p>
  <span>Cas looks back up at him, and Dean pulls up short. There’s almost a challenge in his eyes. Dean finds it…intriguing.</span>
</p><p>“<span>Actually,” Cas says. “I have a….counter-offer.” He holds out the tape in his hands. Dean realizes it’s not the same one he handed to Cas a few days ago. It’s purple, for one thing, and the label is slightly different.</span></p><p>
  <span>He reaches out and takes it, heart pounding.</span>
</p><p>“<span>Listen carefully to the words,” Cas says softly, repeating his own instructions back to him. Dean nods, unable to form words of his own.</span></p><p>
  <span>Then Cas is gone, and Dean is left staring down at the tape, wondering when he resorted to passing love notes back and forth via mixtape with his best friend.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Cas's Mixtape: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3Rg8ROS6h4xFzW88ZNY2FI?si=gH5OoevTSbSjpVpdxqIfmA</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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